Minnow's expression brightened, sharp-toothed smile stretching across its small face. "A fair trade! Harbor for service, service for dreams, dreams for life." It spread its small hands. "As in the old ways. A beneficial pact for us both."
"And what service would you provide exactly?"
"I move unseen in the shadows at night," Minnow replied. "I hear what is whispered, what is plotted. I can warn you of dangers, find treasures hidden deep, speak to the other nightborn on your behalf or chase them away if they are smaller and weaker. I am small, yes, but useful."
I had to admit, having a scout who could move invisibly through shadows sounded valuable. "So basically, you want to be my spy in exchange for safety and... dream energy?"
"Yes!" Minnow clapped its small hands. "You understand! I am weak now, but with a witch's—warlock's dream to sustain me, I could be stronger, more useful. See farther, learn more.”
“Are other witches spying on me with their own nightborns then?”
“Yes. Amongst other creatures. I sense their gaze and Astral hooks trying to locate you. We navi are servants of the Yaga.”
I smiled at the amusing prospect of domain-bound witches sending out a variety of small ghost-creatures to spy on their witch-neighbours. Like Cold War countries sending out spies to steal nuclear bomb blueprints. Did witches use navi to steal each other’s spells?
Hang on… What if Minnow already belonged to some other witch and was sent to spy on me in inception-style? Damn you, paranoia.
“Can you read this?” I opened the bestiary book.
“Alas, I was never taught how to read,” Minnow shook its head sadly.
"Well… I'll think about hiring you on as a spy," I said, not ready to commit to whatever metaphysical bond the creature was proposing.
I thought of what else to ask the little beastie. “How do witches get stronger?”
“They drown their enemies in their domain and then the domain plant and tree roots gradually reform the bones into artifacts of power or magic foci points.”
I considered how Yaga Grandhilda was wearing some kind of animal bones on her face and dress.
“But some consider such too slow and choose blood magic instead.”
“Blood magic?”
“Easy, quick power. Easy to drown yourself in and go mad. Gradual alignment to Nox and the Infinite Abyss.”
“I see.”
“May I sleep now? I am quite tired from my search.”
“Go ahead,” I said.
Satisfied with this response, Minnow curled up on the edge of my soil mound, its form seeming to blur slightly as it settled. Within moments, it appeared to have fallen into a deep slumber, its chest barely rising and falling with shallow breaths.
Stormy approached the sleeping nav, sniffing curiously before settling down beside it, her blind eyes fixed on the small being as if standing guard.
I returned to examining the books and artifacts I'd collected during my morning exploration. The bestiary in particular held my interest, and I spent several more hours studying its illustrations, trying to decipher what I could of the text through context and the detailed pictures.
As evening approached, I checked on our visitor. Minnow still slept, but something about its form had changed—it seemed less substantial, more translucent, as if it were fading into the shadows around it.
Stormy sat nearby, watching intently. When I approached, she looked up at me, then back at Minnow, as if trying to communicate something.
"What is it, girl?" I whispered, kneeling beside her.
The kitten merely blinked her milky eyes and returned to her vigil.
As the sun set, casting long shadows across the pub's interior, Minnow stirred. Its awakening was gradual—first a deepening of its breaths, then a slow unfurling of its slender limbs. When it finally opened its eyes, they seemed to absorb what little light remained, two pools of impenetrable darkness.
"Night comes," it whispered, voice even more ethereal than before. "The darkness calls to me. I must go."
I watched curiously as its form continued to change with the fading light. The contours of its body became less defined, edges blurring into the surrounding darkness. Where before it had appeared merely unusual, now it looked truly otherworldly—a being composed more of murk than substance. Less human and more like a little black bird starling woven from starlight and shadow.
"Thank you for your harbor, warlock," Minnow said, rising to its feet with an eerie, bird-like motion. "I will remember your kindness. And I will return, if you permit it, with news and knowledge."
"You're welcome to return," I replied, curiosity overriding caution. "Especially if you have information that might help me understand this world better."
Minnow bowed, a graceful, flowing movement. "I shall seek what you need. A whisper of warning, freely given: the one who calls herself Yaga Grandhilda has set events in motion that even she may not fully control—a path towards the end of everything.”
“The glaciers?”
“No. Mountain-melting hellfire raining from the awakened moon. Trust only some things which she might tell you in the Astral, warlock. Her words are seeds that can grow into binding vines. She has her own desires that she wishes to fulfill."
Stolen novel; please report.
With that the nav flitted away into… nothing as if diving into some extra-dimensional sky that did not exist, which my eyes could not perceive.
"Well," I said to Stormy, who had jumped onto the windowsill beside me, "that was interesting."
The kitten mewed in agreement, her dark tail swishing slowly back and forth.
I spent the evening organizing my findings. I used the fanciest blank book to sketch out a chart of witch terminology aka a Warlock Codex so as not to forget everything of value.
I began by listing the days too, starting with:
Day 1: Almost drowned, was turned into a w?i?t?c?h? warlock by Yaga Grandhilda. Was terrorized by a Sirin (evil bird lady) who tried to seduce me with her song
Day 2: Nearly died trying to get a shovel. Discovered I could dig up my domain and transport it. Set up base in a local pub to avoid getting spotted and eaten. Fortified the pub with deadly traps.
Day 3: Second attempt by Sirin to Sirin me up. She didn't take rejection well. Shot her with an arrow, set her on fire, and she STILL wouldn't take the hint that I wasn't interested in Sirinification.
Hunted Sirin to her lair during the day, set her magic tree on fire, beheaded her. Discovered a failed attempt at Sirinification. A?q?u?i?r?e?d? was claimed by a kitten as her new owner. Named the kitten Stormy.
Day 4: Found out that it’s really hard to kill a Sirin. Shot her and set her on fire again and threw her off a cliff. She STILL didn't die. Irradiated her for a bit with dragonfire, now keeping her in a cage in my cold well.
Day 5: Found a creepy cursed building that gave me bad vibes. Met tiny ghost-child called Minnow who wants to be my spy in exchange for "dream energy." Fairly standard Tuesday in Thornwild for a witch, I suppose.
I turned the book over and started my own bestiary.
Magical Creatures Encyclopedia:
SIRIN: Bird-woman hybrid that hunts with hypnotic songs. Nearly immortal, regenerates from death in a more compact form. Hates dragonfire. Lives in a magic tree that grows more Sirins. Can't see into witch domains. Prone to holding grudges when set on fire. Specimen acquired: one (1) - named Vesna.
JOTUNS: "Beast-men of inverted fold-flesh" (whatever that means). Come in various flavors of horrifying. Serve some swamp-witch Master. Hunt witches and magic-users. Very bad news.
NIGHTBORN (NAV): Ghost-like, dream-born, half-life creatures sustained by human belief. Can spy, walk through dreams, and disappear dramatically. My potential employee - will require dream-based compensation package.
DRAGON: Breathes fire that melts reality and targets life and magic. Killed entire village. Would not recommend as a pet.
YAGA: Domain-bound witch with questionable ethics. Powers include: future-sight, manipulation, and making terrible career suggestions like "go fight a dragon." Currently plotting something involving me.
ARCANICX: Humans changed by a fallen star. Use technology, collect people (Not sure why?). Have neat crow logo on their tools.
Note to self: This world is absolutely insane, and I need to craft more modern weapons.
I sketched out a map of the village from memory. It looked a bit shoddy and for some reason it completely slipped my head as to where the creepy cursed house that ate curious children was located.
I wrote on a new page I labelled as ‘Warlock Quests’ and attached a red bookmark to it. Then I added a Quest to it.
Quest: Pretend to be a curious child by thinking wanderlust-related thoughts to find the Threshold house again and then attempt to map its location while I look directly at it.
Funny day outlines and Quests were mild personal entertainment in lieu of not having the internet, but I needed to approach things more scientifically if I was to gain an understanding of exactly what magic was and how it functioned in terms of witches and domains, etc.
I turned a few pages and began to write:
Scientific Method for Magical Investigation:
- Observation: Gather data about magical phenomena
- Question: Formulate specific inquiries based on observations
- Hypothesis: Propose tentative explanations for magical effects
- Prediction: Determine the logical consequences of the hypothesis
- Testing: Design and conduct experiments to test predictions
- Analysis: Evaluate the results of the experiments
- Conclusion: Accept, reject, or modify the hypothesis based on results
- Repetition: Repeat the process to verify findings
With this framework in mind, I pondered over my observations so far, mentally outlined questions and then started listing some initial hypotheses about how witch-magic might function:
Hypothesis: The soil from my domain contains a form of energy that enhances biological processes in plants and micro-organisms.
Test: Place seeds in both regular soil and domain soil, controlling for other variables. Measure growth rates and compare.
Hypothesis: The magical properties of my domain are tied to my physical presence.
Test: Set up identical plant samples at varying distances from my usual resting spot. Monitor growth and vitality over time.
Hypothesis: Consumption of domain-grown plants increases my connection to the land and magical abilities.
Test: Shred domain grown grass into spices. Eat food flavored with witchgrass for a week, then switch to regular food. Keep a detailed log of any noticeable changes in perception or abilities.
Hypothesis: Dragonfire breaks down life and magic by targeting it specifically. Understand what the witch's domain targets.
Test: Expose various organic and inorganic materials from the village to my domain, track the occurring changes. Lay materials out in varying distances from the center of my domain to its edges to track where the domain effect begins to decay.
Hypothesis: The rapid healing of plant cells observed under magnification is a property that can be transferred to other organisms.
Test: Create a poultice from domain-grown plants and apply it to small wounds on injured animals (if any can be found). Compare healing rates with untreated wounds.
Hypothesis: The magical resistance to cold observed in domain plants can be transferred to inanimate objects.
Test: Soak various materials (cloth, wood, metal) in water infused with crushed domain plants. Expose these treated materials to freezing temperatures alongside untreated controls.
Hypothesis: The domain's energy can be stored or transferred to other locations.
Test: Create a series of containers filled with domain soil and plants. Move these to different locations and monitor for any retention or decay rate in magical properties.
As I finished writing, I realized the enormity of the task ahead. Each hypothesis would require careful planning, meticulous observation, and likely multiple iterations of testing. But the prospect of unraveling the mysteries of magic filled me with excitement.
As night deepened, I checked on Vesna, still silent in her trance beneath the cold-well cover. The Sirin remained as I'd left her, curled in a tight ball of feathers and limbs, seemingly unaware of the world around her.
I returned to my soil mound, stretching out with a sigh of exhaustion. Stormy padded over, settling against my side with a contented purr. Despite the new information and dire warnings, I felt satisfied with the day's progress. I was beginning to piece together the puzzle of this strange world, one fragment at a time.
As I drifted toward sleep, I found myself wondering what Minnow would find in the coming days, and whether I should risk allowing it to peer into my dreams for answers about my own mysterious origins.
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